In His Embrace
by Muse of Fanfiction
Summary: Her captor was a powerful and formidable God that ruled the subterranean realm with an iron fist, but yet she finds that his lips were kind and his touch was gentle in their quiet privacy.
1. Chapter 1

The Goddess & The Flower

The maiden Persephone walked the Earth, radiating within the light of the golden Sun, with life sprouting where her soft hands and bare feet touched. Her russet brown hair that fell in gentle waves to her waist would be decorated with fragrant and beautiful flowers of her creation, bringing out the vibrancy of her bright eyes that was the color of rich green grass and full of wonder.

She spent her days playing and roaming the rich and healthy lands of her mother, Demeter, the Goddess of Harvest. In the world that she grew up in under her loving mother's care, Persephone grew to be the most beautiful and precious of Earth's treasures, with her magnificence easily rivalling that of even Aphrodite's.

Usually, she was always in the company of her retinue of nymphs while she played in the forests, who took care of her when her mother was unable to. With them, she would play, sing, dance and pick flowers to her heart's content, revelling in the beauty and bounty that her mother had blessed the lands with.

But now, she was alone.

It was evening now, and the golden Sun was starting to set. The nymphs had gone off to prepare for slumber within their trees, and Persephone was to head back to her sacred grove. In her hands was the bouquet of flowers that she had picked throughout the day - wild roses, amaranths, and lilies to name a few.

She had been inhaling the sweet fragrance of the bouquet and admiring its beauty when she saw it.

Narcissus.

It was her favorite flower, with its soft white petals in an elegant form around a small yellow bud in the middle, which looked like a miniature Sun in a small patch of pure white sky.

Her heart fluttered at the sight of beauty and she knew that she definitely wanted it in her collection. Narcissus do not necessarily grow much around these parts of the forest that she was in, and she thought for a short second that it seemed strange that she conveniently found one at the right place at the right time. But she paid not much thought, focusing more on her gentle fingers pinching the stalk of one narcissus and plucking it out from the ground.

She was about to bring the flower to her face, wanting to smell its sweet perfume and caress its soft petals against her cheek – all to embrace the beauty of her favourite flower.

But just as she plucked it from the Earth, she felt the ground shake.

And in a split second, where the narcissus flower had one stood, it cracked.

Persephone lost her balance and fell ungracefully to the ground, losing her grip on the flowers in her arms and everything scattered all around the grass. But she paid no attention to the flowers strewn, never taking her eyes off the crack that had turned into a gaping hole.

And from that hole, which seemed to emit a dire air, emerged an ebony chariot that was reined by two black horses that looked like they were born of an Abyss itself.

And upon that chariot, there was a God.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Capture**

From where she was on the ground, she had to crane her head up to look at the God who stood tall and formidable on his chariot.

Dressed in a black exomis that almost made it appear as though he was cloaked in shadows, she could not help but think of how he looked like the epitome of midnight, with skin as pale as alabaster, that contrasted greatly against the black midnight of his hair and his eyes.

Oh, his eyes.

His eyes, she realised, were fixed on her, and she could feel his hard gaze boring into her, so intense and so fervid that she would have almost thought that he was gazing right at her soul.

That thought made her ichor run dramatically in her veins, and sent a chill down her spine that she would have reacted to if it were not for the fact that she was too frozen in shock to make a move of her limbs or speak a word on her tongue.

He took this as a chance, it had seemed, for with the swiftness that could almost rival Hermes' speed of flight, he had snatched her up from the ground, as though he was just grabbing a small pebble at his feet, and held her at her waist to his body.

Before Persephone could even register what had just gone on in the past few seconds, the dark God that held her in his arms suddenly spoke a command to his steeds, who neighed in response and quickly moved downwards, into the gaping hole that it had emerged from.

She could have screamed – _should have_ screamed – right there and then, but nothing come out through her lips except for an extremely loud gasp of shock as the chariot dived into the earth. She could feel the flowers in her hair suddenly flying out from her tresses as she descended into the underground, and a quick glance up saw them shrivelling so quickly until turning into nothing but dust.

And as she looked up, she could see the hole getting smaller and smaller – she wasn't sure if it was because her captor was rapidly taking her further and further into the underground, or if in actuality the hole above was closing up. Either way, the light that shone through was becoming nothing more than a tiny speck to her eyes, until it disappeared and there was nothing but darkness above her as well.

At this point, she could not see anything, only feel the cold air rushing past her and the strong arms of her captor holding her tightly at the waist as he reigned his steeds towards whatever was below the surface. It scared her, not being able to see, especially the fact that whatever they were heading to was just more darkness.

So involved in her fear that she did not realise that she had gripped the shoulders of the dark God and pressed her face into the crook of his neck, as though to seek solace from the frightening environment around her. It was then that the grip that the Dark God had around her waist was tightened, as though to give her the solace that she sought for.

"Precious flower, do not fear," he murmured in her ear. "You shall be safe."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Land Under the Earth**

Persephone suddenly felt herself being carried in the arms of her captor, and that was when she realized that everything was now still and there was no longer a sensation of falling. Her eyes were still closed as she felt him getting off the chariot, and that was when she dared herself to slowly part her shut eyes.

A soft gasp escaped her rosy lips when she took in the sight of the land before her.

It was dark, clearly because no light can reach the underground. Yet, it was luminescent as akin to that of a waxing moon. The caverns that made up its entirety seemed to stretch into infinity, into regions Persephone herself could not imagine – or perhaps, dared not to imagine. There was not a drop of colour except those similar to that of ash and bone and soot, but yet the land seemed so _alive_.

For some reason, Persephone thought the strange land to be a beauty she has never seen before.

In that moment, her concentration on the world around her broke when she felt the God put her down onto a nearby rock, and she turned to look up at him and saw him gazing at her. A chill ran through her body as she gazed back into his eyes that seemed to be as depthless as an abyss.

However, like this land within the Earth, the God was strange but beautiful.

He slowly lifted a hand, and she flinched slightly when his cold fingers touched her cheek, but what she expected to be an intrusive gesture turned out to be wrong when she felt his palm cupping the side of her face gently, his thumb caressing along the skin her cheekbone.

But she quickly realised that this seemed wrong – he should not be touching her, he should not be gazing down at her image, and she should not even be here.

In an instant, her hand came up and took hold of the wrist of the hand on her face, pushing it away from her. This seemed to have surprised the God who then slightly retracted his hand away, but he remained standing where he was and he remained gazing into her eyes.

"Why am I here?" she questioned breathlessly, her voice low and a bit unnerved. "Why did you take me away from the surface?"

The God took a step back and kept his arms to the side, straightening his posture but keeping his eyes locked on her. He stood so tall and intimidating that Persephone felt like such a mousy and frightened little thing in comparison to her.

For the second time, the God spoke again, in the same deep and husky voice that she had heard previously. "You are to be my consort," he told her quietly, and almost warily. "And I brought you here to my kingdom to rule by my side as Queen."

Persephone swore she could feel her heart stop, and every breath in her body escaped from her. She was still and silent, with only the sensation of shock, confusion and fear enveloping her entire being from her core, and her mind was blank except for the words that had just been said to her.


	4. Chapter 4

**In A Name**

 _Queen._

Such a farfetched term for this God to consider a minor goddess such as herself. Surely, she radiated nothing anywhere near the majesty of _Kyría_ Hera of Olympus or the grace of _Kyría_ Amphitrite of the oceans.

"I did not agree to be your Queen…" she mumbled fearfully. "…I wish to return to the surface…"

The God did not waver, though his lips did purse lightly into a line. Shaking his head lightly, he replied, "Zeus of Olympus has already granted me your hand. You are to be my consort."

His fingers rose to lightly graze against her cheeks which were trembling ever so slightly, and Persephone can't help but notice how his touch, although quite cold against her skin, was soft and gentle, as though careful that she did not break under his contact.

Despite the fear that ran amok inside her, she stilled upon hearing the mention of Zeus, the great King of Olympus and her father. As ruler of the Gods, his name alone invokes authority, so she knew for a fact that upon Zeus granting such a promise, her fate was evidently sealed.

Ignoring the knot that was forming in her stomach and whispering almost as though to not startle the God, she asked, "What is your name?"

Although her voice was quiet, it seemed to echo in the vastness of the darkness around them. It made him look at her with a soft questioning gaze. "Have you never heard of my being?"

She shook her head. "I know of you," she answered in turn, willing her voice to work against the heavy silence that this world radiated. "Mortals of the surface refuse to speak your name in fear of early misfortune befalling upon them. The citizens of Olympus hail you as the ruler of the mysterious land below that rivals in size to that of the Earth. My siblings have told me of the elder brother of our father who does not dwell with them on the mountain's peak. But I have never come close to actually knowing what your true name is."

The gaze of his pitch-black irises held onto her, looking at her quite curiously. A tilt of his lips appeared, himself probably finding it rather amusing.

"I am known by many names, but my name is Hades."

 _Hades_. She has never heard that name before. A name shrouded in mystery and peculiarity. A name that invoked such power and authority. A name befitting of the intimidating god that stood above her, gazing down at her with such confidence in his form.

"And you, _kyría,_ are Kore?"

Persephone tilted her head to the side, inadeptly letting her cheek rest completely at his palm. "How do you know of me when you have never met me?"

"My flower, we may have not crossed paths until today, but it is not like I have not heard of you as well. Such infamy it is of the daughter whom Demeter keeps away from the denizens of Olympus. How she shies you away from the world and all its wonders and keeps you within the sanctuary of her greenery. It is almost as if she intends to keep you a maiden for life."

"And that she is," Persephone affirmed knowingly.

"Is she now?" Hades replied with a raise of his brow. "Indeed, that would explain your name."

Sighing, she shook her head in gentle exasperation. "Kore is not my true name, _Kýrios_ ," she clarified firmly. "It is Persephone."

With that, the God Hades' eyes widened, looking over at her with a certain wonder. Persephone stilled all the while a warmth starts to grow like that of a rising sun within her chest.

"…Persephone…" he said gently, as though tasting her name on his lips.

The warmth in her intensified to a burning heat that spread to her cheeks, where surely a blush must have radiated there. She felt so confused. She had been so terrified of this stranger that took her from the above a moment ago, but what was it about this God's aura that made her experience a sort of adrenaline in her, as though to pursue whatever would follow from here on? What was it of the way he spoke her name that would elicit such an effect on her?

The silence broke down as Hades pulled his hand from her cheek, but held it in front of her face to gesture her to take it in her own.

"Well… dearest Persephone. A maiden you shall be no longer," he said with a knowing smile on his lips. "For tonight, you shall shed your purity for me."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hello everyone. The Muse of Fanfiction here :)

Wow, it's really been so long since I last did a chapter or a story even. The last completed work I had was all the way back in 2015, and the last time this story's been updated was February last year. I feel so bad, to be honest..

First of all, let me explain my very long absence. Generally, it's because life got in the way. Relationships, school and just growing up in general. Back then I used stories as a way to get myself away from reality, but I guess reality really took a hold on me and I forgot about writing just to focus on what's going on in my life.

When I first started out here, I was a student trying to get her diploma but finding myself wanting to just write out my fantasies of the Greek Gods and just thinking up about this whole entire world that I imagined in my head. But now, I'm a student halfway through her Bachelor's degree and just getting swamped that the only thing I'm typing out in my laptop now is essays and submissions. It really dulled out my creative thinking and gave me severe writer's block that now getting a story to be complete takes a lot more time and effort than it did when I first started out.

Forgive me for those of you who patiently wait for me to update, as it really has been a challenge coming up with the way a story flows now. I guess the perfectionist in me just wants to make sure that it's perfect and good enough that there isn't any room for plot holes or mistakes. Even now reading back _Divine Reborn_ I'm seeing so many things I missed out that I wish I could just rewrite everything and make it a good legit story.

Trust me when I say this that I do want to go back to writing. In fact, I've been thinking of reinventing this entire world of Greek mythology that I crafted in my stories, changing so many things that would improve and emphasize the characters and their tales more. I remember a time when I wrote Persephone with amber eyes, but now I just want her to have green eyes because it would bring out the Earth goddess in her. Little random bit there, but you get what I mean! This is partially a reason why I wrote this story - to go back to the basics of how my stories first started out, and that's, of course, starting with Hades and Persephone (still my OTP always, love these 2 to bits!)

I hope that you can give me time to let me slowly get my fingers and brain to work in unison again to write out a chapter. To all those who've stuck by me and shown so much excitement when I release a new chapter, I love you all and you are truly the reason I want to keep going. Thank you all so much.

Until next time!

Yours truly,

 _ **Muse of Fanfiction**_


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